Produce may enhance skin more than creams

FIFE, Scotland, March 10 (UPI) -- Adding a few servings of fruits and vegetables a day might do more than expensive creams to improve skin appearance, researchers in Scotland suggested.

Ross D. Whitehead of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and colleagues investigated longitudinally the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin-color, to determine the magnitude and duration of diet change required to change skin-color perceptibly.

Diet and skin-color were recorded at baseline and after three and six weeks, in a group of 35 Caucasian and East Asian college students who were without makeup, self-tanning agents and/or recent intensive ultraviolet exposure.

The study published in the journal PLoS One found six-week changes in fruit and vegetable consumption were significantly correlated with changes in skin redness and yellowness -- three servings a day enhanced health and attractiveness of the skin.

Beta carotene which give carrots their orange color helped cause a yellowish-orange tint to the skin in those who ate carrots, while reddish tones were detected in the skin of those who ate tomatoes and red peppers, the study said.

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